College Basketball Recap: Alabama Stuns Auburn, Duke Clinches ACC & More
Sears’ Buzzer-Beater Lifts Alabama Past No. 1 Auburn
Mark Sears hit a game-winning floater as time expired in overtime, giving No. 7 Alabama a thrilling 93-91 victory over top-ranked Auburn in SEC play. Despite scoring just nine points, Sears came through in the clutch, securing a regular-season split with their in-state rivals.
Grant Nelson led Alabama with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Johni Broome dropped a career-high 34 points for Auburn. The game saw late drama, as Broome tied it with a three before Sears sealed the win at the buzzer.
No. 2 Duke Rallies to Clinch ACC Title
Duke overcame a seven-point second-half deficit to defeat North Carolina 82-69, securing the outright ACC regular-season championship.
Kon Knueppel led Duke with 17 points, while Tyrese Proctor and Sion James added 16 each. RJ Davis paced UNC with 20 points, but Duke’s dominant 22-5 run late in the game secured the win.
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No. 3 Houston Extends Streak, Holds Off Baylor
L.J. Cryer hit six threes and scored 23 points, leading No. 3 Houston to a 65-61 road win over Baylor.
Houston, now on a 10-game winning streak, remains undefeated on the road this season. J’Wan Roberts added a double-double as the Cougars clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament. V.J. Edgecombe led Baylor with 23 points, but the Bears dropped their fourth game in six contests.
No. 4 Tennessee Tops South Carolina, Earns SEC Double-Bye
Behind Chaz Laniers’ 23 points, No. 4 Tennessee closed SEC play with a 75-65 win over South Carolina.
Cade Phillips scored a career-high 15 points for the Vols, who secured a top-four finish in the SEC tournament. Jamarii Thomas led South Carolina with 20 points, but the Gamecocks fell for the 12th time in 14 meetings with Tennessee.
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No. 5 Florida Cruises Past Ole Miss, Clinches No. 2 SEC Seed
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points with eight assists, helping No. 5 Florida dominate Ole Miss 90-71.
Alex Condon had 17 points and 15 rebounds for Florida, which secured the second seed in the SEC tournament. Ole Miss struggled defensively, allowing 19 second-chance points in the loss.
No. 6 St. John’s Wins OT Thriller Over No. 20 Marquette
A buzzer-beating floater by Zuby Ejiofor in overtime gave No. 6 St. John’s an 86-84 win over No. 20 Marquette.
Ejiofor also grabbed 12 rebounds, while RJ Luis Jr. led with 28 points. Kadary Richmond recorded the program’s first triple-double since 1999.
Kam Jones scored 32 points for Marquette, but his team fell short in the final seconds.
No. 9 Texas Tech Dominates Arizona State
JT Toppin posted a 25-point, 11-rebound double-double, guiding No. 9 Texas Tech to an 85-57 win over Arizona State.
Christian Anderson scored 21 off the bench, while Basheer Jihad led Arizona State with 22 points.
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No. 10 Iowa State Never Trails in Win Over Kansas State
Curtis Jones’ 24 points led No. 10 Iowa State to a dominant 73-57 win over Kansas State.
Iowa State jumped to a 17-6 lead early, and a 51-34 second-half run sealed the game. David N’Guessan had 19 points for Kansas State, but the Wildcats never recovered.
No. 11 Clemson Crushes Virginia Tech
Viktor Lakhin scored 16 points, and No. 11 Clemson dominated Virginia Tech 65-47 for its eighth straight win.
Jaeden Zackery (12 points) and Jaydon Young (10 points) led Clemson, while Brandon Rechsteiner had 11 for Virginia Tech.
Penn State Stuns No. 12 Wisconsin
In one of the day’s biggest upsets, D’Marco Dunn scored a career-high 25 points, leading Penn State to an 86-75 win over No. 12 Wisconsin.
Yanic Niederhauser recorded a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), as Penn State snapped a 23-game road losing streak in Wisconsin.
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No. 13 Maryland Closes Season Strong, Beats Northwestern
Julian Reese’s 19-point, 11-rebound performance powered No. 13 Maryland past Northwestern 74-61.
Maryland won for the seventh time in eight games, while Nick Martinelli (28 points) led Northwestern in defeat.
No. 14 Louisville Wins Ninth Straight, Beats Stanford
Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 16 each, as No. 14 Louisville handled Stanford 68-48.
Maxime Raynaud (17 points, 11 rebounds) recorded his 23rd double-double for Stanford, but it wasn’t enough to stop Louisville’s dominant late-season surge.
No. 19 Kentucky Outlasts No. 15 Missouri in High-Scoring Showdown
Otega Oweh scored 22 points, as No. 19 Kentucky secured a 91-83 win over No. 15 Missouri.
Mark Mitchell (22 points) led Missouri, but Kentucky controlled the boards en route to the win.
No. 22 Texas A&M Uses Second-Half Surge to Beat LSU
A 23-5 second-half run propelled No. 22 Texas A&M to a 66-52 win over LSU.
Wade Taylor IV had 17 points, and Henry Coleman added 11 points, 10 rebounds as the Aggies secured back-to-back wins.
No. 23 BYU Secures Fourth Big 12 Seed, Tops Utah
Five players scored in double figures, leading No. 23 BYU to an 85-74 win over Utah.
Dawson Baker (15 points) and Richie Saunders (14 points) paced the Cougars. Miro Little (21 points) led Utah, but the Utes dropped to 1-3 under interim coach Josh Eilert.
Kansas Upsets No. 24 Arizona
Hunter Dickinson exploded for 33 points and 10 rebounds, leading Kansas to an 83-76 upset over No. 24 Arizona.
Kansas closed the game on a 17-8 run, securing the win despite Jaden Bradley’s 21 points for Arizona.
Arkansas Stuns No. 25 Mississippi State in 93-92 Thriller
Jonas Aidoo hit a game-winning free throw with 11 seconds left, as Arkansas upset No. 25 Mississippi State 93-92.
DJ Wagner led Arkansas with 24 points, while Claudell Harris Jr. (18 points) paced Mississippi State.
Final Thoughts
From Alabama’s buzzer-beater over Auburn to Duke’s ACC title-clinching comeback, it was a wild day in college basketball. As conference tournaments approach, who will emerge as the true title contenders? Stay tuned for more March Madness action!
